In general, a touch panel is a device to input information into a computer and is used together with various display devices including a cathode ray tube and a liquid crystal display (LCD). When installed in the LCD, the touch panel allows a user to select icons or items displayed on the LCD by touching a predetermined region of the touch panel corresponding to the icons or items.
Recently, as the multimedia technology and the display technology have made rapid progress, the resolution of the LCD of a portable communication device has been improved, so the touch panel is increasingly used in the portable communication device.
The touch panel may be mainly classified into a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel. In the resistive touch panel, glass is shorted with an electrode due to the pressure of an input device so that a touch point is detected. In the capacitive touch panel, the variation in capacitance between electrodes is detected when a finger of the user touches the capacitive touch panel, so that the touch point is detected.
However, users of the portable communication device do not satisfy with the use of a transparent touch window, but demand for interfaces, which can be used more naturally, readily and beneficially.
In this regard, a haptic function is provided in the portable communication device.
The haptic refers to the tactile sense imparted to a person when the person touches an object using a tip of a finger or a stylus pen and includes the tactile feedback, which is felt when a skin touches a surface of the object, and the kinesthetic force feedback, which is felt when the movement of the articulations and muscles is interrupted.
As an example of a device for providing the haptic function, there is provided a device having an actuator installed at a lower portion of the touch panel. If the actuator is driven, the driving force of the actuator is transferred to the touch panel fixedly connected to the actuator, so the user can recognize the driving force of the actuator.
However, an additional space is necessary in order to install the actuator for providing the haptic function in the conventional portable communication device using the touch panel. Since a spacer must be inserted between a touch electrode unit and the LCD to provide the space, the thickness of the conventional portable communication device may be increased, causing a problem in terms of slimness and miniaturization.
In addition, the actuator according to the related art requires a predetermined space and a predetermined size for driving. Thus, if the actuator is mounted together with the touch electrode pat and the LCD, a predetermined mounting space is necessary, so the visibility of the LCD may be degraded.
Therefore, an apparatus capable of mounting an actuator providing a superior touch sense to a touch panel of a potable communication device without an additional mounting space is necessary.